Transition Healthcare

We’ve all taken breaks at work and “stretched” our backs. This is sometimes automatic and sometimes intentional but is always a motor response from our bodies telling us what it needs. The “stretching” that we think we’re performing is actually an activation of your back musculature. During activation, your muscles will shorten, while a stretch will lengthen your muscles; so we are actually stretching the front of our bodies while we are activating the back muscles. This is because we’ve been in a forward flexed position and the brain is responding to a stretch response in order to shorten the muscles in your back in order to maintain a neutral position to keep us upright and to prevent overstretched musculature in our backs and potential injury. Keeping your back musculature strong is very important in maintaining pain free activities of daily living; especially in a world of constant flexion. Give us a call to make an appointment so we can better show you how to maintain your posture in a safe and effective manner.